Google Fiber


Google Fiber, Inc., sometimes stylized as GFiber, is a fiber broadband Internet service operated by Alphabet Inc. servicing a growing number of households in cities in 19 states across the United States. In mid-2016, Google Fiber was estimated to have about 453,000 broadband customers.
The service was first introduced in 2012 in the Kansas City metropolitan area, growing to include twenty Kansas City area suburbs within three years. Initially proposed as an experimental project, Google Fiber was announced as a viable business model in December 2012, when Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt stated "It's actually not an experiment, we're actually running it as a business", at The New York Times DealBook Conference.
Google Fiber announced expansion to Austin, Texas, and Provo, Utah, in April 2013, and subsequent expansions in 2014 and 2015 to Atlanta, Charlotte, Research Triangle, Nashville, Salt Lake City, and San Antonio. GFiber resumed expansion and by early 2024, GFiber also served Huntsville, Maricopa County, Des Moines and West Des Moines, Omaha among others.
In August 2015, Google announced its intention to restructure the company, moving less central services and products into a new umbrella corporation, Alphabet Inc. As part of this restructuring plan, Google Fiber would become a subsidiary of Alphabet and would possibly become part of the Access and Energy business unit.
In October 2016, all expansion plans were put on hold, and some jobs were cut. Google said it would continue to provide Google Fiber service in the cities where it was already installed. Since then, GFiber acquired Webpass to add presence in 5 additional states. In March 2022, Google Fiber announced it would bring high speed internet to the Des Moines, Iowa, metro area, making it the first expansion in five years. GFiber has resumed very active expansion in several new states.
In August 2022, Google Fiber announced it would expand into 22 metro areas in five states, including previously announced expansions into Mesa, Arizona, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, based on where it felt speeds were lagging. It also announced additional investment in North Carolina. CNET characterized this an example of fast fiber winning the broadband wars. In October 2023, Google Fiber rebranded to GFiber and announced plans to begin offering 20Gig internet and Wi-Fi 7 hardware in the near future.

Services

Google Fiber offers three symmetrical speed internet options as of January 2025. They are called .
Google Fiber in the past offered five options, depending on location: Fiber 1 Gig, 2 Gig, , and an option for home phone service. All speed tiers included one terabyte of storage on Google Drive service.
PlanCoreFiber 2 Gig HomeFiber 5 Gig Edge
Internet bandwidth 1 Gbit/s2 Gbit/s3 Gbit/s5 Gbit/s8 Gbit/s
Internet bandwidth 1 Gbit/s1 Gbit/s 3 Gbit/s5 Gbit/s8 Gbit/s
Construction fee-----
Monthly recurring cost$70$100$100$125$150
Storage included-1TB Google Drive-1TB Google Drive-
Hardware includedMulti-Gig Wi-Fi 6E router
Up to 1 Mesh Extender		Wi-Fi 6 router
1 Mesh Extender		Multi-Gig Wi-Fi 6E router
Up to 2 Mesh Extenders
Battery Backup 		Wi-Fi 6 router
Includes up to 2 Mesh Extenders		Multi-Gig Wi-Fi 6E router
Up to 2 Mesh Extenders
Battery Backup

New updated plans and speeds were unveiled in early 2025. 1TB free Google Drive was discontinued.
Google also offers free Google Fiber Internet connectivity in each of its markets to select public and affordable housing properties.
Google Fiber participated in the FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program with discounted rates until its cancellation in June 2024.
In February 2020, Google Fiber stopped offering TV service directly to new customers. Instead, during the sign-up process for Google Fiber, customers are presented with promotions for three virtual MVPD services: sister company YouTube TV, as well as FuboTV and Philo. TV service was maintained for existing clients until early 2022.

Distribution

To avoid underground cabling complexity for the last mile, Google Fiber relies on aggregators dubbed Google Fiber Huts.
From these Google Fiber Huts, the fiber cables travel along utility poles into neighborhoods and homes, and stop at a Fiber Jack in each home.
The estimated cost of wiring a fiber network like Google Fiber into a major American city was $1 billion in 2016.

First city selection process

The initial location was chosen following a competitive selection process. Over 1,100 communities applied to be the first recipients of the service. Google originally stated that they would announce the winner or winners by the end of 2010; however, in mid-December, Google pushed back the announcement to "early 2011" due to the number of applications.
The request form was simple, and some have argued that it was too straightforward. This led to various attention-getting behaviors by those hoping to have their town selected. Some examples are given below:
Municipalities and citizens also uploaded YouTube videos to support their bids. Some examples:
In 2011, Google launched a trial in a residential community of Palo Alto, California. On March 30 of the same year, Kansas City, Kansas, was selected as the first city to receive Google Fiber. In 2013, Austin, Texas, and Provo, Utah, were announced as expansion cities for Google Fiber on April 9 and 17 respectively.
  • Texas
  • * Austin
  • * San Antonio
  • Utah
  • * Logan
  • * Provo
  • * Salt Lake City
  • Washington
  • * Seattle
  • Nebraska
  • * Bellevue
  • * Omaha
  • North Carolina
  • * Charlotte
  • * The Triangle
  • South Carolina
  • * Tega Cay
  • Tennessee
  • * Franklin
  • * Murfreesboro
  • * Nashville
  • Illinois
  • * Chicago
  • Idaho
  • * Pocatello
  • lowa
  • * Council Bluffs
  • * Des Moines
  • * West Des Moines
  • Kansas/Missouri
  • * Kansas City
  • * Jefferson City
  • Colorado
  • * Denver
  • * Lakewood
  • * Westminster
  • * Wheat Ridge
  • Florida
  • * Miami
  • Georgia
  • * Atlanta
  • Alabama
  • * Huntsville
  • Arizona
  • * Chandler
  • * Mesa
  • California
  • * Oakland
  • * Orange County
  • * San Diego
  • * San Francisco

    Stanford University

  • In summer 2011, Google launched a free trial of its forthcoming fiber service in one residential community near Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

    Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri

Google found that affluent neighborhoods in Kansas City signed up for the faster service while those in poorer neighborhoods did not sign up for even the free option. In response to this digital divide, Google sent a team of 60 employees to the underserved areas to promote the Google Fiber service. Additionally, Google offered micro-grants to community organizations that want to start up digital literacy programs in Kansas City.
The following are chronological announcements of service in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Neighborhoods are said to be selected based on demand:
Google placed deployment in Overland Park, Kansas, on indefinite hold in October 2013, following delays by the City Council over concerns about whether an indemnification clause that Google required might force the city to repair any damage caused by the project. As of July 2014, Overland Park's City Council had voted on a deal that would allow for Google Fiber. Soon after, the city appeared on Google Fiber's website.